Trevor, aged 50, lives in Liverpool

I was diagnosed in my early forties, after feeling tired and unwell without being able to explain exactly why. I saw a locum doctor that I hadn’t seen before and mentioned my family history of haemochromatosis - my mum is of Irish descent, she and my sister both have been diagnosed. He referred me for tests which showed raised ferritin levels.

Once my diagnosis was confirmed, I started going for venesection as treatment for haemochromatosis. I also started to look at my diet and exercise routines as I’m a keen cyclist, and I spoke to the Haemochromatosis UK Advice Helpline for guidance on this. I felt reassured when I joined that there was somewhere to get more information when I needed it.

For anyone who’s having symptoms, I’d recommend making an appointment to speak to your GP and being as persistent as possible. Before my diagnosis I’d been to a different doctor a couple of years earlier for the same reason and was just told I was probably working too hard, which I accepted because I was relieved to hear it. It meant that I went undiagnosed for quite a while longer.

The best advice I’d give to anyone after their diagnosis is to be kind to yourself and not to try and over do it. I wanted to continue to train and compete in cycling, but I was advised to wait until I was in maintenance and it was the right decision. My performance, health and wellbeing would have been affected.

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